[ Startside ] [ Review ] [ Quotes ] [ Matrix'n'Me ] [ Pictures ]

Review

The story focuses on Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), a computer programmer who uses the alias "Neo" to moonlight as a top-dollar hacker specializing in under- the- table software solutions. Neo is contacted by a fellow cybersneak named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), who helps put him in touch with a mysterious revolutionary called Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). Both inform Neo that the world around him is not everything he believes it to be and offer to show him the truth. The plot thickens when he's picked up at work by a trio of government goons who confront him with a fat file detailing his techno-crimes and offer an exchange: a clean slate in return for his assistance in bringing Morpheus to justice.

To reveal more about the plot would be a grave injustice. For all its layers and complexities — which are both myriad and fascinating — the Wachowskis' ingenious script is a model of exposition and pacing. Seeing its marvelous secrets unfold gradually is half the fun. The dialogue, in particular, is excellent, with nary a wasted word nor a misplaced monologue and the caliber of the performances matches that of the writing. A slimmed- down Reeves proves perfectly suited to his heroic lead role and breathtaking newcomer Moss, a former model, is an immensely appealing heroine. The always- excellent Fishburne radiates just the right level of gravitas and moral authority, and Australian actor Hugo Weaving is a four- star sensation as the principal villain, the menacing Agent Smith. Most thrillers would toss off a taunt like "Human beings are a disease" without a second thought — but here, between Weaving's delicious delivery and the Wachowskis' sharp screenplay, it morphs into one of the most resonant, riveting speeches in the movie.

The visuals are stunning throughout, exactly as advertised, but never at the expense of the story and characters. It's rare in the current climate of for- its- own- sake f/x wizardry that special effects this breathtaking should fit so unobtrusively into the sequences they are meant to enhance. Commendably, the Wachowskis have put equal care into the futuristic razzle- dazzle and the more mundane, meat- and- potatoes details: we've all seen stuntmen dangle from a helicopter before, but such scenes are rarely executed so crisply as the one you'll see here. And the positive effects of the rigorous kung- fu boot camp the principal actors participated in prior to filming show up in every fight scene.

It's not quite possible to recommend The Matrix without reservation. The high-octane clashes between good and evil ultimately spiral outside the boundaries of good taste when the movie arrives at a climactic shootout in the lobby of a secured office tower that manages to incorporate — albeit with a bare minimum of bloodshed — just about every harmful fantasy about guns and bullets Hollywood has ever promulgated. What keeps this sequence from derailing the entire production is the visual grace with which the Wachowskis have imbued it — not even John Woo has ever made heavy ordnance look this pretty. If you can forgive such detours into excess, this wildly imaginative thriller is a futuristic head trip you most definitely want to take.